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I think it’s fair enough to say that anyone who starts dancing salsa (or any social dance for that matter) sees some fairly noticeable changes in their life after a short amount of.

We change, we become different from the “muggles” (a term used to refer to people without magic powers in the Harry Potter series) (NOTE: I’ve never read the books but someone told me the term in reference to non-dancers and I liked it). So yeah, once we’re accepted into the Secret Society of Salsa (S.S.S.) we become different from the muggles… those without magical powers of salsa.

Here’s a little list of some of those things that we often do now as salseros, which we never did before.

When stepping onto a relatively large floor, like in a restaurant, bar or even someone’s home, twisting the ball of your foot from side to side on the surface to gauge the friction and therefore dance potential.

Subtly nodding to yourself and giving a look of appreciation when the above floor meets your standards.

Your adrenaline rises and your heartbeat accelerates when you hear a salsa song played in a completely non-salsa setting.

The above reaction is intensified when you’re together with another salsero and give each other that look of knowing something that no one else there knows.

You dress better and suddenly become far more adventurous with your wardrobe. This could be the skin-tight sparklies common in performances, a revealing little dress with some added flare for the ladies or for the men… you know what I’m gonna say… waistcoats 😉

Yup, that’s a salsa dancer right there!

Doing some serious shoulder and hip movement when you’re dancing to “normal” music. Even listening to music at the bus stop is enough to make you bust a little move if you think you can get away with it

Drinking much less alcohol. Gotta maintain some level of balance!

Packing for weekend salsa congress becomes a serious logistical dilemma when trying to pack enough clothes for 3 nights of social and two days of workshops into a little carryon bag.

Having a weeks worth of laundry to do after said weekend becomes totally normal.

Sweating profusely becomes second nature!

The damn song didn’t even last 4 minutes and look at me.

For the ladies, trying to find make-up that will survive all the sweating so you don’t end up looking like the girl from “The Ring” by the end of the night.

Make-up smudging half way through a kizomba night

For the guys, bringing a few extra t-shirts when going out is a fact of life.

Listening and tapping your foot along to normal music and trying to figure out if you could dance to it.

Close physical contact with complete strangers is no longer a problem for you.

Reacting to breaks in music in public with a subtle body movement followed by looks of concern from the people around you.

Feeling slightly awkward at other social functions where no one is dancing.

When trying on new shoes the first thing you do is a spin test to see if you could dance in them.

Dance classes/nights out/congress’ etc become monthly fixed expenses, just as important as rent and electricity.

Personal hygiene becomes even more of a priority.

Planning a vacation now involves the essential step of looking up possible latin clubs at your destination.

You become incredibly critical of “salsa dancing” you see in popular movies or on TV… “I could do better than that”!

You always have chewing gum.

Your social circle explodes and Facebook friend requests blow up after a congress.

You constantly say that you’re going to learn Spanish so you can understand the lyrics of your favorite songs… but it never quite happens.

Standing in front of a full-length mirror is a perfect opportunity for some shines or body isolations.

You feel like a living legend if any of your “muggle” friends ever see you dancing with another salsero.

You ask complete strangers to dance and accept dances from complete strangers… I’m pretty sure no one did that before starting salsa.

Hearing a particular song brings back really powerful memories of that amazing dance you had with that cute girl/guy a while back… ufff!

Ladies, some of you have probably decided you didn’t need to buy groceries for a week just so you could get that new pair of dance shoes that caught your eye (to be honest, this one probably isn’t that different from the muggles).

Men, you have become unfazed by ridiculing comments made by your non-dancing, male friends and family.

You pass other salseros, who you don’t know but have seen out dancing, on the street and you give each other “the nod” and subtle smile of salsa acknowledgement! You both walk away feeling special.

Random body rolls 😀

The list could go on.

So, what do you think? Do you recognize any of these new habits in yourself since joining the world of salsa?

Or what have I left out? Let me know in the comments and I’ll add them to the list.

Keep dancing folks.

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